The Crimson Fairy Book
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The king was much pleased with the trades and talk of the six
brothers, and said: 'Thank you, good people; your father did well
to teach you all these things. Now follow me to the town, as I want
to see what you can do. I need such people as you about me; but
when harvest time comes I will send you home with royal presents.'
The brothers bowed and said: 'As the king wills.' Suddenly the king
remembered that he had not questioned the seventh Simon, so he
turned to him and said: 'Why are you silent? What is your
handicraft?'
And the seventh Simon answered: 'I have no handicraft, O king; I
have learnt nothing. I could not manage it. And if I do know how
to do anything it is not what might properly be called a real trade--it
is rather a sort of performance; but it is one which no one--not the
king himself--must watch me doing, and I doubt whether this
performance of mine would please your Majesty.'
'Come, come,' cried the king; 'I will have no excuses, what is this
trade?'
'First, sire, give me your royal word that you will not kill me when I
have told you. Then you shall hear.'
'So be it, then; I give you my royal word.'
Then the seventh Simon stepped back a little, cleared his throat,
and said: 'My trade, King Archidej, is of such a kind that the man
who follows it in your kingdom generally loses his life and has no
hopes of pardon. There is only one thing I can do really well, and
that is--to steal, and to hide the smallest scrap of anything I have
stolen. Not the deepest vault, even if its lock were enchanted,
could prevent my stealing anything out of it that I wished to have.'
When the king heard this he fell into a passion. 'I will not pardon
you, you rascal,' he cried; 'I will shut you up in my deepest dungeon
on bread and water till you have forgotten such a trade. Indeed, it
would be better to put you to death at once, and I've a good mind
to do so.'
'Don't kill me, O king! I am really not as bad as you think. Why,
had I chosen, I could have robbed the royal treasury, have bribed
your judges to let me off, and built a white marble palace with what
was left. But though I know how to steal I don't do it. You
yourself asked me my trade. If you kill me you will break your
royal word.'
'Very well,' said the king, 'I will not kill you. I pardon you. But
from this hour you shall be shut up in a dark dungeon. Here,
guards! away with him to the prison. But you six Simons follow
me and be assured of my royal favour.'
So the six Simons followed the king. The seventh Simon was
seized by the guards, who put him in chains and threw him in prison
with only bread and water for food. Next day the king gave the
first Simon carpenters, masons, smiths and labourers, with great
stores of iron, mortar, and the like, and Simon began to build. And
he built his great white pillar far, far up into the clouds, as high as
the nearest stars; but the other stars were higher still.
Then the second Simon climbed up the pillar and saw and heard all
that was going on through the whole world. When he came down
he had all sorts of wonderful things to tell. How one king was
marching in battle against another, and which was likely to be the
victor. How, in another place, great rejoicings were going on,
while in a third people were dying of famine. In fact there was not
the smallest event going on over the earth that was hidden from
him.
Next the third Simon began. He stretched out his arms, once,
twice, thrice, and the wonder-ship was ready. At a sign from the
king it was launched, and floated proudly and safely like a bird on
the waves. Instead of ropes it had wires for rigging, and musicians
played on them with fiddle bows and made lovely music. As the
ship swam about, the fourth Simon seized the prow with his strong
hand, and in a moment it was gone--sunk to the bottom of the sea.
An hour passed, and then the ship floated again, drawn up by
Simon's left hand, while in his right he brought a gigantic fish from
the depth of the ocean for the royal table.
Whilst this was going on the fifth Simon had built his forge and
hammered out his iron, and when the king returned from the
harbour the magic cross-bow was made.
His Majesty went out into an open field at once, looked up into the
sky and saw, far, far away, an eagle flying up towards the sun and
looking like a little speck.
'Now,' said the king, 'if you can shoot that bird I will reward you.'
Simon only smiled; he lifted his cross-bow, took aim, fired, and the
eagle fell. As it was falling the sixth Simon ran with a dish, caught
the bird before it fell to earth and brought it to the king.
'Many thanks, my brave lads,' said the king; 'I see that each of you
is indeed a master of his trade. You shall be richly rewarded. But
now rest and have your dinner.'
The six Simons bowed and went to dinner. But they had hardly
begun before a messenger came to say that the king wanted to see
them. They obeyed at once and found him surrounded by all his
court and men of state.
'Listen, my good fellows,' cried the king, as soon as he saw them.
'Hear what my wise counsellors have thought of. As you, Simon
the second, can see the whole world from the top of the great pillar,
I want you to climb up and to see and hear. For I am told that, far
away, across many seas, is the great kingdom of the Island of
Busan, and that the daughter of the king is the beautiful Princess
Helena.'
Off ran the second Simon and clambered quickly up the pillar. He
gazed around, listened on all sides, and then slid down to report to
the king.
'Sire, I have obeyed your orders. Far away I saw the Island of
Busan. The king is a mighty monarch, but full of pride, harsh and
cruel. He sits on his throne and declares that no prince or king on
earth is good enough for his lovely daughter, that he will give her to
none, and that if any king asks for her hand he will declare war
against him and destroy his kingdom.'
'Has the king of Busan a great army?' asked King Archidej; 'is his
country far off?'
'As far as I could judge,' replied Simon, 'it would take you nearly
ten years in fair weather to sail there. But if the weather were
stormy we might say twelve. I saw the army being reviewed. It is
not so very large--a hundred thousand men at arms and a hundred
thousand knights. Besides these, he has a strong bodyguard and a
good many cross-bowmen. Altogether you may say another
hundred thousand, and there is a picked body of heroes who
reserve themselves for great occasions requiring particular courage.'
The king sat for some time lost in thought. At last he said to the
nobles and courtiers standing round: 'I am determined to marry the
Princess Helena, but how shall I do it?'
The nobles, courtiers and counsellors said nothing, but tried to hide
behind each other. Then the third Simon said:
'Pardon me, your Majesty, if I offer my advice. You wish to go to
the Island of Busan? What can be easier? In my ship you will get
there in a week instead of in ten years. But ask your council to
advise you what to do when you arrive--in one word, whether you
will win the princess peacefully or by war?'
But the wise men were as silent as ever.
The king frowned, and was about to say something sharp, when the
Court Fool pushed his way to the front and said: 'Dear me, what are
all you clever people so puzzled about? The matter is quite clear.
As it seems it will not take long to reach the island why not send
the seventh Simon? He will steal the fair maiden fast enough, and
then the king, her father, may consider how he is going to bring his
army over here--it will take him ten years to do it!---no less! What
do you think of my plan?'
'What do I think? Why, that your idea is capital, and you shall be
rewarded for it. Come, guards, hurry as fast as you can and bring
the seventh Simon before me.'
Not many minutes later, Simon the seventh stood before the king,
who explained to him what he wished done, and also that to steal
for the benefit of his king and country was by no means a wrong
thing, though it was very wrong to steal for his own advantage.
The youngest Simon, who looked very pale and hungry, only
nodded his head.
'Come,' said the king, 'tell me truly. Do you think you could steal
the Princess Helena?'
'Why should I not steal her, sire? The thing is easy enough. Let my
brother's ship be laden with rich stuffs, brocades, Persian carpets,
pearls and jewels. Send me in the ship. Give me my four middle
brothers as companions, and keep the two others as hostages.'
When the king heard these words his heart became filled with
longing, and he ordered all to be done as Simon wished. Every one
ran about to do his bidding; and in next to no time the wonder-ship
was laden and ready to start.
The five Simons took leave of the king, went on board, and had no
sooner set sail than they were almost out of sight. The ship cut
through the waters like a falcon through the air, and just a week
after starting sighted the Island of Busan. The coast appeared to be
strongly guarded, and from afar the watchman on a high tower
called out: 'Halt and anchor! Who are you? Where do you come
from, and what do you want?'
The seventh Simon answered from the ship: 'We are peaceful
people. We come from the country of the great and good King
Archidej, and we bring foreign wares--rich brocades, carpets, and
costly jewels, which we wish to show to your king and the princess.
We desire to trade--to sell, to buy, and to exchange.'
The brothers launched a small boat, took some of their valuable
goods with them, rowed to shore and went up to the palace. The
princess sat in a rose-red room, and when she saw the brothers
coming near she called her nurse and other women, and told them
to inquire who and what these people were, and what they wanted.
The seventh Simon answered the nurse: 'We come from the country
of the wise and good King Archidej,' said he, 'and we have brought
all sorts of goods for sale. We trust the king of this country may
condescend to welcome us, and to let his servants take charge of
our wares. If he considers them worthy to adorn his followers we
shall be content.'
This speech was repeated to the princess, who ordered the brothers
to be brought to the red-room at once. They bowed respectfully to
her and displayed some splendid velvets and brocades, and opened
cases of pearls and precious stones. Such beautiful things had
never been seen in the island, and the nurse and waiting women
stood bewildered by all the magnificence. They whispered together
that they had never beheld anything like it. The princess too saw
and wondered, and her eyes could not weary of looking at the
lovely things, or her fingers of stroking the rich soft stuffs, and of
holding up the sparkling jewels to the light.
'Fairest of princesses,' said Simon. 'Be pleased to order your
waiting-maids to accept the silks and velvets, and let your women
trim their head-dresses with the jewels; these are no special
treasures. But permit me to say that they are as nothing to the
many coloured tapestries, the gorgeous stones and ropes of pearls
in our ship. We did not like to bring more with us, not knowing
what your royal taste might be; but if it seems good to you to
honour our ship with a visit, you might condescend to choose such
things as were pleasing in your eyes.'
This polite speech pleased the princess very much. She went to the
king and said: 'Dear father, some merchants have arrived with the
most splendid wares. Pray allow me to go to their ship and choose
out what I like.'
The king thought and thought, frowned hard and rubbed his ear.
At last he gave consent, and ordered out his royal yacht, with 100
cross-bows, 100 knights, and 1,000 soldiers, to escort the Princess
Helena.
Off sailed the yacht with the princess and her escort. The brothers
Simon came on board to conduct the princess to their ship, and, led
by the brothers and followed by her nurse and other women, she
crossed the crystal plank from one vessel to another.
The seventh Simon spread out his goods, and had so many curious
and interesting tales to tell about them, that the princess forgot
everything else in looking and listening, so that she did not know
that the fourth Simon had seized the prow of the ship, and that all
of a sudden it had vanished from sight, and was racing along in the
depths of the sea.
The crew of the royal yacht shouted aloud, the knights stood still
with terror, the soldiers were struck dumb and hung their heads.
There was nothing to be done but to sail back and tell the king of
his loss.
How he wept and stormed! 'Oh, light of my eyes,' he sobbed; 'I am
indeed punished for my pride. I thought no one good enough to be
your husband, and now you are lost in the depths of the sea, and
have left me alone! As for all of you who saw this thing--away with
you! Let them be put in irons and lock them up in prison, whilst I
think how I can best put them to death!'
Whilst the King of Busan was raging and lamenting in this fashion,
Simon's ship was swimming like any fish under the sea, and when
the island was well out of sight he brought it up to the surface
again. At that moment the princess recollected herself. 'Nurse,'
said she, 'we have been gazing at these wonders only too long. I
hope my father won't be vexed at our delay.'
She tore herself away and stepped on deck. Neither the yacht nor
the island was in sight! Helena wrung her hands and beat her breast.
Then she changed herself into a white swan and flew off. But the
fifth Simon seized his bow and shot the swan, and the sixth Simon
did not let it fall into the water but caught it in the ship, and the
swan turned into a silver fish, but Simon lost no time and caught the
fish, when, quick as thought, the fish turned into a black mouse and
ran about the ship. It darted towards a hole, but before it could
reach it Simon sprang upon it more swiftly than any cat, and then
the little mouse turned once more into the beautiful Princess
Helena.
Early one morning King Archidej sat thoughtfully at his window
gazing out to sea. His heart was sad and he would neither eat nor
drink. His thoughts were full of the Princess Helena, who was as
lovely as a dream. Is that a white gull he sees flying towards the
shore, or is it a sail? No, it is no gull, it is the wonder-ship flying
along with billowing sails. Its flags wave, the fiddlers play on the
wire rigging, the anchor is thrown out and the crystal plank laid
from the ship to the pier. The lovely Helena steps across the plank.
She shines like the sun, and the stars of heaven seem to sparkle in
her eyes.
Up sprang King Archidej in haste: 'Hurry, hurry,' he cried. 'Let us
hasten to meet her! Let the bugles sound and the joy bells be rung!'
And the whole Court swarmed with courtiers and servants. Golden
carpets were laid down and the great gates thrown open to
welcome the princess.
King Archidej went out himself, took her by the hand and led her
into the royal apartments.
'Madam,' said he, 'the fame of your beauty had reached me, but I
had not dared to expect such loveliness. Still I will not keep you
here against your will. If you wish it, the wonder-ship shall take
you back to your father and your own country; but if you will
consent to stay here, then reign over me and my country as our
queen.'
What more is there to tell? It is not hard to guess that the princess
listened to the king's wooing, and their betrothal took place with
great pomp and rejoicings.
The brothers Simon were sent again to the Island of Busan with a
letter to the king from his daughter to invite him to their wedding.
And the wonder-ship arrived at the Island of Busan just as all the
knights and soldiers who had escorted the princess were being led
out to execution.
Then the seventh Simon cried out from the ship: 'Stop! stop! I
bring a letter from the Princess Helena!'
The King of Busan read the letter over and over again, and ordered
the knights and soldiers to be set free. He entertained King
Archidej's ambassadors hospitably, and sent his blessing to his
daughter, but he could not be brought to attend the wedding.
When the wonder-ship got home King Archidej and Princess
Helena were enchanted with the news it brought.
The king sent for the seven Simons. 'A thousand thanks to you, my
brave fellows,' he cried. 'Take what gold, silver, and precious
stones you will out of my treasury. Tell me if there is anything else
you wish for and I will give it you, my good friends. Do you wish
to be made nobles, or to govern towns? Only speak.'
Then the eldest Simon bowed and said: 'We are plain folk, your
Majesty, and understand simple things best. What figures should
we cut as nobles or governors? Nor do we desire gold. We have
our fields which give us food, and as much money as we need. If
you wish to reward us then grant that our land may be free of taxes,
and of your goodness pardon the seventh Simon. He is not the first
who has been a thief by trade and he will certainly not be the last.'
'So be it,' said the king; 'your land shall be free of all taxes, and
Simon the seventh is pardoned.'
Then the king gave each brother a goblet of wine and invited them
to the wedding feast. And what a feast that was!
[From Ungarischen Mahrchen.]
The Language of Beasts
Once upon a time a man had a shepherd who served him many
years faithfully and honestly. One day, whilst herding his flock, this
shepherd heard a hissing sound, coming out of the forest near by,
which he could not account for. So he went into the wood in the
direction of the noise to try to discover the cause. When he
approached the place he found that the dry grass and leaves were
on fire, and on a tree, surrounded by flames, a snake was coiled,
hissing with terror.
The shepherd stood wondering how the poor snake could escape,
for the wind was blowing the flames that way, and soon that tree
would be burning like the rest. Suddenly the snake cried: 'O
shepherd! for the love of heaven save me from this fire!'
Then the shepherd stretched his staff out over the flames and the
snake wound itself round the staff and up to his hand, and from his
hand it crept up his arm, and twined itself about his neck. The
shepherd trembled with fright, expecting every instant to be stung
to death, and said: 'What an unlucky man I am! Did I rescue you
only to be destroyed myself?' But the snake answered: 'Have no
fear; only carry me home to my father who is the King of the
Snakes.' The shepherd, however, was much too frightened to listen,
and said that he could not go away and leave his flock alone; but
the snake said: 'You need not be afraid to leave your flock, no evil
shall befall them; but make all the haste you can.'
So he set off through the wood carrying the snake, and after a time
he came to a great gateway, made entirely of snakes intertwined
one with another. The shepherd stood still with surprise, but the
snake round his neck whistled, and immediately all the arch
unwound itself.
'When we are come to my father's house,' said his own snake to
him, 'he will reward you with anything you like to ask--silver, gold,
jewels, or whatever on this earth is most precious; but take none of
all these things, ask rather to understand the language of beasts. He
will refuse it to you a long time, but in the end he will grant it to
you.'
Soon after that they arrived at the house of the King of the Snakes,
who burst into tears of joy at the sight of his daughter, as he had
given her up for dead. 'Where have you been all this time?' he
asked, directly he could speak, and she told him that she had been
caught in a forest fire, and had been rescued from the flames by the
shepherd. The King of the Snakes, then turning to the shepherd,
said to him: 'What reward will you choose for saving my child?'
'Make me to know the language of beasts,' answered the shepherd,
'that is all I desire.'
The king replied: 'Such knowledge would be of no benefit to you,
for if I granted it to you and you told any one of it, you would
immediately die; ask me rather for whatever else you would most
like to possess, and it shall be yours.'
But the shepherd answered him: 'Sir, if you wish to reward me for
saving your daughter, grant me, I pray you, to know the language
of beasts. I desire nothing else'; and he turned as if to depart.
Then the king called him back, saying: 'If nothing else will satisfy
you, open your mouth.' The man obeyed, and the king spat into it,
and said: 'Now spit into my mouth.' The shepherd did as he was
told, then the King of the Snakes spat again into the shepherd's
mouth. When they had spat into each other's mouths three times,
the king said:
'Now you know the language of beasts, go in peace; but, if you
value your life, beware lest you tell any one of it, else you will
immediately die.'
So the shepherd set out for home, and on his way through the
wood he heard and understood all that was said by the birds, and by
every living creature. When he got back to his sheep he found the
flock grazing peacefully, and as he was very tired he laid himself
down by them to rest a little. Hardly had he done so when two
ravens flew down and perched on a tree near by, and began to talk
to each other in their own language: 'If that shepherd only knew
that there is a vault full of gold and silver beneath where that lamb
is lying, what would he not do?' When the shepherd heard these
words he went straight to his master and told him, and the master at
once took a waggon, and broke open the door of the vault, and
they carried off the treasure. But instead of keeping it for himself,
the master, who was an honourable man, gave it all up to the
shepherd, saying: 'Take it, it is yours. The gods have given it to
you.' So the shepherd took the treasure and built himself a house.
He married a wife, and they lived in great peace and happiness, and
he was acknowledged to be the richest man, not only of his native
village, but of all the country-side. He had flocks of sheep, and
cattle, and horses without end, as well as beautiful clothes and
jewels.
One day, just before Christmas, he said to his wife: 'Prepare
everything for a great feast, to-morrow we will take things with us
to the farm that the shepherds there may make merry.' The wife
obeyed, and all was prepared as he desired. Next day they both
went to the farm, and in the evening the master said to the
shepherds: 'Now come, all of you, eat, drink, and make merry. I
will watch the flocks myself to-night in your stead.' Then he went
out to spend the night with the flocks.
When midnight struck the wolves howled and the dogs barked, and
the wolves spoke in their own tongue, saying:
'Shall we come in and work havoc, and you too shall eat flesh?' And
the dogs answered in their tongue: 'Come in, and for once we shall
have enough to eat.'
Now amongst the dogs there was one so old that he had only two
teeth left in his head, and he spoke to the wolves, saying: 'So long
as I have my two teeth still in my head, I will let no harm be done to
my master.'
All this the master heard and understood, and as soon as morning
dawned he ordered all the dogs to be killed excepting the old dog.
The farm servants wondered at this order, and exclaimed: 'But
surely, sir, that would be a pity?'
The master answered: 'Do as I bid you'; and made ready to return
home with his wife, and they mounted their horses, her steed being
a mare. As they went on their way, it happened that the husband
rode on ahead, while the wife was a little way behind. The
husband's horse, seeing this, neighed, and said to the mare: 'Come
along, make haste; why are you so slow?' And the mare answered:
'It is very easy for you, you carry only your master, who is a thin
man, but I carry my mistress, who is so fat that she weights as much
as three.' When the husband heard that he looked back and laughed,
which the wife perceiving, she urged on the mare till she caught up
with her husband, and asked him why he laughed. 'For nothing at
all,' he answered; 'just because it came into my head.' She would not
be satisfied with this answer, and urged him more and more to tell
her why he had laughed. But he controlled himself and said: 'Let
me be, wife; what ails you? I do not know myself why I laughed.'
But the more he put her off, the more she tormented him to tell her
the cause of his laughter. At length he said to her: 'Know, then,
that if I tell it you I shall immediately and surely die.' But even this
did not quiet her; she only besought him the more to tell her.
Meanwhile they had reached home, and before getting down from
his horse the man called for a coffin to be brought; and when it was
there he placed it in front of the house, and said to his wife:
'See, I will lay myself down in this coffin, and will then tell you why
I laughed, for as soon as I have told you I shall surely die.' So he lay
down in the coffin, and while he took a last look around him, his
old dog came out from the farm and sat down by him, and whined.
When the master saw this, he called to his wife: 'Bring a piece of
bread to give to the dog.' The wife brought some bread and threw it
to the dog, but he would not look at it. Then the farm cock came
and pecked at the bread; but the dog said to it: 'Wretched glutton,
you can eat like that when you see that your master is dying?' The
cock answered: 'Let him die, if he is so stupid. I have a hundred
wives, which I call together when I find a grain of corn, and as soon
as they are there I swallow it myself; should one of them dare to be
angry, I would give her a lesson with my beak. He has only one
wife, and he cannot keep her in order.'
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